Not for the Faint of Heart
by thehugbandit
Summary: "Amelia! Amelia, wake up!" Blake's voice came crashing over me like a violent wave to a sandy shore. I wanted to cry out to him, but a small hand on my back stopped me. I looked down at the boy standing next to me with pleading eyes. He shot me a sympathetic look. "You know he can't hear you, right?" He asked. I lowered my head. "What do I do now?" "Wait to wake up."
1. Prologue

"This way!" I sang letting a large smile slither across my face. I expanded my arms feeling the wind race through my fingers. The way the air tastes was intoxicating causing my eyes to roll into the back of my head in sheer delight.

"Lia!" Kailey croaked nervously. Instinct kicked in, I spun on the balls of my feet placing a hand on top of my head to keep my hat from falling. "We shouldn't be here."

Blake looked at her sideways, then flickered his gaze back to me. He licked his lips, a sign that he was just as anxious but unwilling to vocalize it. My grin grew.

"It's alright, my loves!" I cooed arching my back. "I come here all the time. It's one of my many secret hiding places."

"If this is a hiding place, then why are _we_ here?" Kailey asked gesturing to the lanky boy to her left and herself. I glanced back at them and sighed.

"Isn't that what friends do?" I wondered aloud. "Share secrets?"

"Friends?" Kailey's voice was caught between a scoff and a snicker. Blake shot daggers at her with his eyes.

"Yes, that's exactly what friends do." He said to me, but it was clear his tone was directed towards Kailey. She shifted uncomfortably as he carefully made his way towards me, and without giving it a second thought, started climbing the rubble of stone that barely made up the wall I was perched on. Once he reached the top, he sat down and swung his legs off the side letting them dangle just above Kailey's head.

"You too?" She grumbled crossing her arms over her chest. She pouted out her bottom lip and shook her head. "Isn't this illegal? Haven't either of you heard of trespassing?"

"Kailey, come on!" I laughed. "It's a gorgeous day, please don't be upset."

"Don't be- don't be upset?" She choked out a very stale, very forced laugh. "Are you kidding me? We could be arrested! This is stupid! Why are we here, Lia? Besides your obvious desire to get us all in trouble."

"Kailey…" Blake warned curling one of his legs into his chest. He wrapped his arms around it, rested his chin on his knee, and scolded her with his eyes. But his attempt to calm her seemed to have the opposite effect.

"No! No! Don't you 'Kailey' me!" She shouted stomping her foot into the ground. "I'm sick of this! Sick of all of this!"

"Kailey." Blake tried again, his voice harsher this time. "Not here. Not now."

"Then when?" She growled. "When, Blake? Can't we talk about this? Everything was fine until-"

"Until when?"

Tension was rising, so quickly I couldn't breathe. The two stared each other down. Both grinding their teeth together with an emotion that teetered on the edge of hatred.

"You have the choice to make today happy or sad." I interrupted. "Don't you want to be happy?"

"Happy!" Kailey spat dropping her arms to her side and balling them into tight fists. Her blue eyes clouded to gray. Muddied up with anger and jealousy. She ended her staring contest with Blake to scream at me. "Oh, look at me! I'm darling Amelia Grace! Just moved here from the blessed state of South Carolina! Aren't I just a delight? Ain't nothin' bad ever happen' to lil' ole me!" She mocked in a horrid Southern accent. My smile faltered. "Please." She growled. "Don't pretend like you know a thing about me. You took away my choice to be happy when you-"

"When she what?" Blake was standing now. I didn't have to look at him to see the intensity in his glare. Kailey started fidgeting with her hands. "Answer me!" He demanded. "I dare you."

"When she started talking to you."

I could barely hear her voice, but Blake sure did. He didn't move. He didn't even breathe. He just stood there watching her. I let my eyes wander along the horizon. I tried to focus on the autumn leaves raining down from the clustered trees crawling up the mountainside. I tried to smile, to pretend like the conversation being held didn't bother me. But it did.

In an attempt to distract myself, I started to hum and glide along the wall to the window. This place was my sanctuary, and I wanted to share it with my two friends who were turning out to be more of a source of anxiety than a stress relief. As I scaled the wall to get to the window, I remembered us. Our history. How I met Kailey my first day at my new high school, and how she confessed to me her crush on Blake. How close we were, the two of us, and how quickly it became the three of us when Blake decided to join. Sure, I had lots of new friends. But they weren't like Blake and Kailey. I couldn't really describe it. Kailey seemed so real to me. While everyone was trying to figure out who they were, Kailey knew. She didn't care about being popular, she had a plan. College, a career, and even a crush. The three Cs, as we called it. And Blake? He was intentional in everything he did. And loyal. I loved my other friends, and I trusted them. But I thought Blake and Kailey were more.

"Amelia?" Blake sounded concerned, but his voice was quickly warping in and out of my eardrums. Everything around me began to shake. My breathing became uneasy. My palms, a sweaty disaster. My temples throbbed, my stomach ached, my lungs swelled and expanded, taking my heart on an overactive ride for its life. I stumbled, my knees buckled and threatened to toss me off balance. My vision blurred in and out, switching from tunnel to fishbowl over and over again until it finally gave up and black. I wheezed, hoping to cool my nerves, but all it did was encourage the panic to take over. "Amelia!"

His excited scream was the last thing I heard.


	2. Chapter One: Wait to Wake Up

Chapter One: Wait to Wake Up

"It's so bright!" I mused aloud spinning on the balls of my feet. My eyes were wild, desperately trying to drink in the bland surroundings. White seemed to be the theme. From the walls to the marble floor, it splattered everything in an almost eerie illuminating glow. "Wow! Follow up question: how did I get here?" I tapped my finger to my chin and peered around the hall. From what I could see, I was in a very well kept government building. Maybe a school? "No, definitely not a school." I sighed under my breath. "Too many windows, but still oddly prison-like."

I shook my head and smiled to myself dancing along the halls. Without even thinking, I was humming. No song in particular, just a soothing lull to pass the time. And before I knew it, I had wandered into an opening. A grand dome in the middle of the scheme of things. I froze, my jaw dropped, my heart hiccupped inside of my chest. Stairs, white stairs, hugged and circled the walls. I knew at once exactly where I was.

"Hello." Came a small voice from above. I shot my eyes upward curiously staring at a boy, maybe fourteen, staring down at me. "Hi, I don't know how much time we have here, but I'm Charlie."

I know I probably should have had more questions, but excitement captured me instead. Without missing a beat, I shot my hand into the air and waved enthusiastically. "Amelia!" I exclaimed. "I'm Amelia."

He blinked twice, clearly taken aback. My cheeks flushed with heat at the sudden realization that maybe I was just a tad bit too thrilled. I lowered my head and started nervously raking my fingers through my hair in a poor attempt to hide my embarrassment. The boy, Charlie, laughed.

"That's a new one." He said appearing at my side.

"Holy freak-show, Batman!" I wheezed clasping my hand to my chest. "Good Lord, what are you, The Flash? Gee willikers! You could give a girl a heart attack!" I exhaled slowly, trying to catch my breath and chuckled. "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. What am I to do with you?"

"You mean you're not afraid? Don't you have any questions? They all have questions. I mean, seriously. Look around you. You're just not going to react to the creepy ghost land?"

I shook my head no and smiled wider. "I'm fairly certain I'm in the in-between." I replied casually. Unfortunately, I couldn't mask the indifference in my voice. Charlie's big brown eyes widened with curiosity.

"The in-between?" He murmured. I nodded.

"Yep, that funky little place you go to when you're unconscious." I hummed clasping my hands behind my back. I rocked on my heels and allowed my eyes to drink in the environment. After a beat I sighed. "I must say, this is an amazing hospital."

"Ah, so you do know what's going on."

I nodded turning my attention back to the boy. "Yep! I have a pretty good idea on what happened. I mean, it's not, like, a perfect understanding, but at least I'm not clueless."

"So are you going to tell me what happened? Or should I just wait?"

"Oh, sorry!" I giggled. "Ok, short version? There's something wrong with me. The doctors from back home have desperately tried figuring it out, but they're as in the dark about my health as I am. So, my brother and I moved here hoping to get more answers. He thinks I have cancer and wanted me to see, who was it? Dr. McAndrews? Anyways, I black out a lot. Usually I can tell when it's going to happen and get proper help, but this time, for whatever reason, hit me out of nowhere." I paused remembering Blake and Kailey and how freaked out they both must have been when I fell off that wall. My cheeks turned feverishly red. "Gosh! Those poor dears." I fought back an awkward laugh. Charlie eyed me suspiciously.

"What?" He asked circling me to get a better look at my face. I shook my head no and pressed my fingers to my lips.

"Sorry! Two of my friends were with me this time. They have no idea I'm sick. I brought them some place special to let them know I'm dying, I guess falling off a wall is an appropriate way to tell them."

"I'm not exactly sure how you want me to respond." Charlie's voice was careful, like he didn't want offend me. The poor boy had no idea he couldn't even if he wanted to. But for his sake, I opted to change the subject.

"So what about you? What brings you to the in-between?"

"Oh, um, right. I never really get this far in a conversation." He was blushing! "Can we-"

"Amelia!" The room quaked stopping Charlie from finishing his sentence. I staggered forward, letting my mind get dizzy with the sound. I closed my eyes, holding it in.

"Blake?" I mouthed. The panic was indescribable. He was so worried. I could feel it all around me. My hands balled into tight fists. Blake.

Charlie froze at my side, almost like he was reliving a different scene from his past. I sensed he wanted to comfort me, but he wasn't sure how because the ending of his story hadn't come quite yet.

"Amelia! Amelia, wake up!" Blake's voice came crashing over me like a violent wave to a sandy shore. I wanted to cry out to him, but a small hand on my back stopped me. Charlie. I looked down at the boy standing next to me with pleading eyes. He shot me a sympathetic look.

"You know he can't hear you, right?" He asked. I lowered my head.

"What do I do now?" I choked bringing a shaky hand to my cheek. Tears. I was crying. And that would explain the roughness of my throat. Charlie sighed and took a step closer.

"Wait to wake up."

* * *

><p>"Amelia! Where is she? Where's my sister!" A large boy came bulldozing through the sliding doors with a cat tucked calming under one of his arms. His deep green eyes were clouded and wild, anxiously scanning around for an answer. "Where is my sister!"<p>

"Sir, sir!" Nurse Dobler went rushing to his side wearing her infamous awkward, but polite, smile. She bounced to a stop as she cornered him, but he wasn't looking at her. He looking past her, looking for someone. "Hi! Down here!" She waved. "Yeah, here buddy!"

He cast his eyes downward, his lips pressed into a firm line. "Can you help me?" He asked, his voice a shaky and scattered mess.

"Well, that depends. Sir, why do you have a cat?" She asked pointing a bony finger down at his arms. He followed her gaze, a single tear caught at the edge of his cheekbone.

"It-it's m-my sister's." He choked holding it out to her. "He's her service animal. She, uh, never leaves home without him."

"Ah, ok. I see." Nurse Dobler cooed, but it was clear she wasn't quite following. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure if you're allowed in here seeing as-"

"Brittany, what are you doing?"

"N-Nurse Jackson!" The young nurse nearly jumped out of her skin as the seasoned nurse came around the corner clutching a cup of coffee in one hand. Nurse Jackson beamed down at her, then flashed a quick smile at the boy.

"I'm apologize for Nurse Dobler, she's not familiar with all the rules yet. How can I help you?" Nurse Jackson asked taking a sip of her coffee.

The boy licked his lips and stroked the cat. "My, uh, sister. Sh-she's here, right? A-Amelia Grace?"

"Oh! Amelia! Any relation to Dr. Grace?" Brittany's voice ran from excited to irritated almost too quickly. Nurse Jackson shot her a look to silence her.

"I assume you're the patient's brother?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, unfortunately, Dr. McAndrew and _Dr. Grace_," she shot another glare at Nurse Dobler who squirmed, "are having a look at her now. She hasn't waken up from her coma. We received your files with your email about the suspected cancer earlier this month, but based on the X-Rays hadn't concluded anything which is why we haven't called you back."

"Ok." The boy growled. "I don't care about that right now. You said she's still in a c-coma? Let me see her!"

Nurse Jackson was about to say something else, but was cut short by a small voice from around the corner. "Joey?" The boy's gaze shifted as a small girl with deep blue eyes came walking coolly into view. Her posture was stiff and clearly uncomfortable. She clutched the hems of her sleeves as she stared wide eyed up at the boy. "Wh- you brought Winston?"

"I couldn't leave him, Kailey." The boy said through gritted teeth. It was clear this girl wasn't his favorite person in the world, but she brushed it off with a dull nod.

"I see." She somberly hummed under her breath. "Blake is _still_ in the waiting room." What was that in her voice? Hatred? "They won't let us back there. With her, I mean. We're not family. Not like _you._ So Blake, being the _loyal_ and _devoted_ friend that he is, has been texting people from school. _Friends._ A lot of people will be on their way soon. I guess this is exactly what she wanted. A big show for everyone."

"You jealous bitch!" He growled. "She's dying! Or can you not comprehend that? Are you just incapable of feeling sympathy? Are you so caught up in your own self-pity and hatred to see that Amelia, my little sister, is sick and dying! You know, she has done everything in her power not to worry you, worry any of you! And this is how you act? Wow. I can't believe she claimed you as a friend! All you've ever done is used her."

Nurse Jackson tried to hide her amusement, but was failing. Brittany's jaw dropped and Joey's grip on the cat tightened as Kailey let out a gasp.

"J-j-jealous?" She stumbled backwards. "Um, uh, what?" She wheezed. "Lia's dying?"

"Stop calling her that! Her name is Amelia! And yes, you fuc-"

"Whoa, that's enough there!" Nurse Dobler said placing herself between the bickering teens. "Let's take a deep breath, ok? Yeah! That sounds nice. Breathing is healthy!"

"Take me to my sister." Joey demanded. "And show this whore out."

"Gladly." Nurse Jackson said taking another sip of her coffee. Once she finished, she handed it off to Brittany and grabbed the small blonde by the arm. "This way is the exit."

"Wait! I'm not done yet!" Kailey protested. "J-Joey! I'm sorry! I didn't know! Take me back, please! I need to see Blake!"

"Text him." Joey glared. "He's not into you. The only reason he tolerated you was because my sister cared about you." Kailey froze. Joey looked at Brittany. "Take me to my sister."

"I-It's not true." Kailey called after him. Her voice was weak. Joey said nothing, instead he followed Brittany out and around the hall, disappearing around the corner.

I raised a brow gripping my crutches as I watched the scene unravel. Whoever this girl, Amelia, was had managed to cause quite the uproar. I smiled. About time.


	3. Chapter Two: Stay Blessed

Chapter Two: Stay Blessed

**Amelia**

I closed my eyes, listening to my heart beat with every shaky breath. Everything was still. Quiet. Too quiet. I opened my eyes, immediately taking in my surroundings. There was no sign of the boy, Charlie, and the thought of him missing sent chills leaping up my spine. I held my breath, clutching the large plastic gun to my chest and prepared to fight.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" I cooed hugging the wall. My voice was eerie, waving in and out of confidence and adrenaline as I slowly slid into a crouching position. I poked my head outside the door and waited. "Charlie! Come on out to play. I won't bite, I swear!"

"Like I believe that!" I whipped my head backwards aiming my gun upward. Charlie was towing over me, perched neatly on top of a cupboard decked out entirely in the finest paintball gear. Camouflage cargo pants and a solid tan T-Shirt and terrifying mask. I didn't hesitate to dive out of the way and pull the trigger at the same time letting a shrill battle cry out as I hit the ground. Unfortunately, I painfully underestimated my opponent. Charlie dropped, rolled, and started rapid fire. I kicked my feet at the wall, the momentum sent me flying out of the way barely escaping his rampage.

"Is that the best you've got?" He taunted wheezing like an old smoking addict. "My grandma plays better than you!"

"Your grandma must be an ex-Navy Seal because my moves are flawless!" I screeched back army crawling to a capsized twin bed in the far corner of the room. A couple of bullets grazed past my head, fortunately enough for me, Charlie had crap aim. I froze, allowing reflex to take over, and vainly checked my amo. Here in our imagination, the laws of physics simply didn't exist. We were closest to gods we could be.

"Don't tell me you're scared." Charlie spoke confidently, his voice reverberating off the walls making him impossible to pinpoint. "I'm just a kid, remember?"

"Oh no, don't pull the kid card on me!" I laughed scanning the room. "I won't be fooled."

"Well, that's good to hear." I could hear the grin in his words. And he was close, too close.

"Charlie!" I cried, but it was too late. A single bullet hit my torso, staining me in blue paint. I fired back, hitting him in the leg. Green oozed from the wound. He ripped off his mask, scolding me with his eyes.

"No fair! I already won!" He complained.

"Sorry! Don't blame me, blame instinct! If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

"Fair enough." He sighed snapping his fingers. Right before my eyes, he transformed. His war clothes swiftly turned to casual wear. "Now what?"

"Anything to distract me from the horrid scene unraveling in real time." I whined pulling myself to my feet. I glanced down at my clothes, then back at Charlie. "Remind me again how this works?"

"Just imagine yourself in different clothes." He sighed pinching his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose.

"Oh! Right, right, right!" I giggled. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the outfit I was wearing earlier: a white lacy dress, gray knit leggings, brown combat boots, a jean jacket, and a gray knit beanie. "Ta-Da!"

"Sh-should I clap?" He asked sarcastically. "Wow. You changed."

"Oh, ha! Ha!" I scoffed. "You forget, though I black out often, I am no expert."

"Are we seriously doing this right now? Are we arguing at whose best at the in-between?'

My face lit up with delight. "You used my word!"

"In-between? I'm pretty sure that's already been invented."

"Are you this sassy with everyone, or am I special?" I grinned placing my hands on my hips.

His cheeks reddened. "Ah, don't flatter yourself. I'm pretty sassy all the time."

"Mhm." I hummed spinning on the balls of my feet. I flipped the bed over and flopped down on my back. "So, Charlie, now that we've successfully shared life stories and attacked each other, what should we do?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, I suggested paintball, so common curtesy dictates you decide next. Besides, you've lived here longer. What do you usually do for fun?"

"Oh, you're not gonna like it."

"What? Why?"

"I spy on people." He murmured. I grimaced. "You can still hear and feel everything in here."

"I don't wanna listen to the real word." My chest hurt. I contorted forward, shaping myself into the fetal position. "It's so painful."

"Understandable." Charlie said sitting next to me. He stroked my hair. "But, I'm going to have to be the voice of reason here, you can't hide from your past forever."

"I know." I huffed sitting up. I turned to him and pouted out my bottom lip. "I just hate this. Hate all of the attention. Hate the pity. Hate the heartache. Hate all of it."

"That's a lot of hate."

I nodded. But could you blame me? It nearly destroyed me hearing Blake's panic as they raced me to the hospital. I could see the pain on his face as they forcefully asked him to leave. He shoved Kailey away, charging after me. Tears streaming down his face, snot everywhere. It was far from pretty. I thought I was ok. I liked being under examination where I couldn't directly feel or hear people around me. But then Joey. Oh my gosh, when my brother came sobbing though the door with Winston- tears. So many, many tears. Then Blake had the bright idea to text everyone I'd ever interacted with ever that I was in the hospital and suddenly my coma turned into some deranged social gathering. Almost like a party. It started in the waiting room, and the second I was allowed visitors, the selfies began. Blips and bings and shutter sounds everywhere. And for whatever reason, Joey decided to play nice. Sitting in a chair next to my bed patiently stroking Winston, the boy didn't make a sound. It was all driving me crazy!

"So this must be the famous Amelia Grace I've heard oh so much about."

The unfamiliar sound caught me completely and totally off guard. Out of sheer dumb instinct, I almost punched Charlie in the face. Fortunately enough for the boy, I had enough common sense to know and understand he wasn't a threat and instead, responded with a very mature, "Holy flippin' freakshow, Batman! Who the- what the flip-flop is happenin'!"

A cackle errupted on the other side of the room. Charlie went running towards it and I, like the lovely lady I am, remained perfectly still skeptically eyeing the new stranger lurking in the doorway.

"Leo!" Charlie cheered. "Amelia, come on over! Meet Leo!" I gave a sheepish wave still not finding enough energy to move my lead feet from the ground. Charlie rolled his eyes. "She's not usually this shy." He explained. "Just a little startled."

"I bet, with all the chaos happening up there, I can't blame her. Are you aware of the party raging on over there?"

They both laughed. I took the opportunity to one over Leo. He was a great bit older than Charlie, not quite a man though. He still had a boyish face, high cheekbones, and a quite pale complexion. His hair was gone, no doubt due to chemo, but his eyebrows, as bushy as they were, remained perfectly intact like giant caterpillars over his deep grayish eyes. It should also be noted that the boy-kid-man was missing a leg. Again, my best guess, due to cancer.

"So," Charlie dragged out the word, "Amelia, are you going to continue staring or are you going to stand up and introduce yourself."

"I'ma what now?" I croaked. Leo shook his head, staring.

"You're a bit of a daydreamer, aren't you?" He guessed. "So what's your story? Why are there so many people freaking out over this?"

"Oh, no!" I screeched covering my face in my hands. I fell back into the bed. "Please, no. Don't mention the party again."

"Yeah, I heard your hatred over it earlier. And, I'm glad. If you were a stuck up glory sponge, we might have a problem here."

"She's far from that." Charlie piped in. "See?"

By 'see', what Charlie really meant was, 'watch her wallow in embarrassment on the bed'. I curled back up into myself and groaned occasionally rocking in grief. I could hear Leo's distinct snicker.

"I can see that." He chuckled. "So, another Red Band Member?"

"You're asking me?" Charlie asked, obviously thrilled. I pulled my hands down my face, pressed my palms to the bed, and pushed myself up. Leo nodded.

"Of course! So, is she worthy?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, I like her. Are you, are you sure you want to ask me that?"

"Dude, come on! You've spent the last four hours with her. And Dr. McAndrews mentioned he wanted to keep her for a while after she wakes up. She's going to need all the support she can get. You know, real support from people like us who actually understand what she's going through."

They were speaking like I wasn't ten feet away from me, which honestly irked me quite a bit. Especially since, you know, Leo _blatantly mentioned I wasn't leaving._ I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I knew I was sick. I knew this coma was bad. Common sense would say that I wasn't leaving, but every fiber of my being wanted to be optimistic and say I'd get to go home with Joey. But Leo dashed that dream.

"Amelia, are you alright?"

I'm not sure which boy spoke, all I knew was that I was staring. Not at anything in particular, but past everyone and everything. My hands were shaky, my body unstable. I was a mess, which was sad considering I was in my own mind. Leo's face slipped into a frown. Charlie stopped moving. And the next thing I knew, I was on the ground letting violent tremors rip through my body.

"Amelia!" Leo screamed racing to my side. "Amelia, I think your physical body is going into some sort of shock. I need you to stay calm. Charlie. Charlie! Come here."

After Leo spoke, I felt a second pair of hands wandering along my side. Leo let out a heavy breath. "G-g-guys." I choked. "T-thank y-y-you."

"Stop talking!" Leo said, and through blurry eyes I could spy a tiny smirk. "Thank me when you wake up. Dr. McAndrews is with me now, but there are lots of other really great doctors who will be right with you. Don't worry, just stay calm."

"D-don't stress." I whimpered. "St-stay blessed."

"That's right." Charlie forced a smile. "Stay blessed."


End file.
